Gary Neville believes Eddie Nketiah has a ‘real opportunity’ to secure a place in the England squad

Eddie Nketiah has a ‘real chance’ to propel himself towards his first England cap amid a ‘shortage of English centre-forwards’.

Fresh off a match-winning display, the Three Lions’ Under-21 record goalscorer may soon be part of Gareth Southgate’s plans, according to Gary Neville.

“Nketiah, you look at him and the dearth of English centre-forwards… I think he has a real chance at the moment,” Neville said on the programme. Gary Neville Podcastof the striker’s selection chances.

‘(Dominic) Calvert-Lewin is not quite there at the moment. (Callum) Wilson is good, but is he going to last another three, four, five years? Harry Kane, we know, is fantastic. (Jamie) Vardy is obviously not here anymore.’

While the bright lights of Wembley may be on his fans’ minds, Neville thinks Nketiah would do well to stay focused on the promising role he is currently playing.

“But at the moment the best thing Eddie Nketiah can do is just contribute to this Arsenal team and this very special run they are on,” he said. “And this very special season that they’re having.”

Nketiah’s international future is still undecided despite turning down Ghana ahead of the World Cup.

While the decision was a blow to the Black Stars, Nketiah has yet to declare his intention to play for England, nor has he ruled out ever appearing for his parents’ country.

Nketiah may not possess the same fear factor as some of the Premier League’s best strikers, Neville believes he can still wreak havoc.

“I want my forwards to not just score goals but threaten space back, really give centre-backs a hard time and he’s done that in every game I’ve seen.”

“I thought he was fantastic today, and if you work as hard as he does, you just get your rewards at the right times.”

And they did it with a 24th-minute equalizer, before a stoppage-time winner in a 3-2 win over Manchester United that left them five points clear at the top.